Contributions to the Science of Reading

 The Reading League Journal Multidisciplinary Contributions To The Science of Reading Volume 4 Issue 1 January/February 2023

This week, I received an unexpected gift as a principal, two snow days in a row, snuggled up next to a weekend! For those in education, you know what this means, rest and time. Whether it's mental health or numbness on the couch with ultimate control of the remote, your day is now a reprieve from the sense of urgency. 

That’s the first day. On the second day, you pick up speed and realize your list of to-dos is waiting and will not go away. So you dive in. My inbox held more than 100 items, with many needing immediate attention while just a few required a simple click of the archive stroke, immediately reducing the load. Knowing inbox zero is a myth (putting them into folders for another time doesn’t count), I narrowed it down to 17 urgent items that won't go away until responses are received. Which ultimately left me time to do what I love: read!

My rambling story has a point. I picked up the January/February 2023 The Reading League Journal, Multidisciplinary Contributions to the Science of Reading. I heard imaginary laughter, but I remained intrigued by each published article. Editor Emily Solari, Ph.D., encouraged readers to expand their knowledge of the many fields that contribute to the science of reading. 

As is my habit, I started from back to front. Many articles interested me and added to my understanding of the science of reading, but there were three favorites. Elana Gordon’s account, There’s Still Time: A Science of Reading Journey, was genuinely inspiring. “Balanced literacy has been a pillar of instruction for many years, and asking teachers to make pedagogical shifts is difficult. Building teacher capacity is an investment in our future and will take time, but the alternative is no longer an option.” Knowing better and doing better for students requires a learning mindset, which Gordon demonstrates.

After reading, The  Best Practices for Improving Language and Literacy Outcomes for English Learners by NCIL (National Center on Improving Literacy), I made a mentai list of colleagues who would find it insightful too. The article opens with, “ As classrooms across the United States are becoming more diverse, it is critical that educators are able to successfully address the unique language and learning needs of English learners and provide efficient and high-quality support when gaps in achievement are identified.” 

NCIL then shares the research findings of instructional practices highly recommended for teachers to use and implement in their classrooms to support ELs to “acquire the language and literacy skills needed to succeed academically.” All students, especially our language learners, should receive the following:

• Comprehensive, evidence-based language and literacy instruction as part of their core curriculum (PA, phonics, vocabulary, oral reading fluency, comprehension, and writing).

• Carefully choose academic vocabulary that is revisited through a variety of activities. 

• “Educators should provide ELs with opportunities to build content knowledge and language competence in tandem (Baker et al., 2014). Integrating reading, writing, speaking, and listening as they are learning.

• Structured writing instruction should be a regular structured priority with multiple opportunities to “develop written language skills.”

• For those students who struggle daily, small-group intervention teacher-directed instruction can provide scaffolds that make learning easier for ELs.

• A student’s home language, prior knowledge, and cultural and linguistic knowledge are assets to be utilized as an area of strength for ELs. 

Lastly, I reviewed “Moving the Science of Reading Forward: A Review of Two Recent Meta-Analyses of Reading Intervention Research. The details are intricate and might require repeated readings to absorb, but it brought me back to my dissertation days and made me realize my EdD coursework was worthy. “The purpose of a systematic review is to understand the amount and quality of existing research on a topic, look for patterns across studies, and identify areas where more research is needed.” “As with any branch of science, the science of reading is not a fixed body of knowledge. Rather, researchers continue to break new ground such that ‘the accrual of scientific knowledge related to reading is ever evolving.’”

Solari closes the journal’s introduction with, “We hope you enjoy this special issue of The Reading League Journal. Happy reading!” I would agree after reading each article, and I felt more optimistic about where educators are headed as we learn more about the Science of Reading.